Reduction gear



March 21, 1933. H, F. SCHMIDT 1,902,341

REDUCTION GEAR Filed Aug. 29, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheel l FA dm` t l.. 1x1. m m i. i112., 1..|.|!

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/NI/.ENTOR Henry F. Schmidt B Y l2*: f5, M A TTORNEY WlTNEISS March 2l; E933. H F SCHMIDT 1,902,341

REDUCTION GEAR Filedug. 29, 1951 5 Sheets-.Sheet 2 il; A TTORNE y March 21, QBB;

H. vIF. SCHMET REDUCTION GEAR Filed Aug. 29, 1931 was@ s sheets-sheet 5 Fea@ Patented Mar. 21, `1933 Y UNrrn STATES HENRY r. SCHMIDT, oF LANsDowNE, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIeNon To wnsriNs'nonsn K ELECTRIC a MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A ConPonA'rICN or rnNNsYLvANLA REDUCTION GEAR Application' filed August 29, 1931. Serial No. 560,194.

My invention relates to reduction gearing, more particularly of the marine propulsion type, and it has for an object to provide gearing which shall be compact and relatively light together with-improved means of support for the pinion floating frame.

Heretofora a floating frame type reduction gear has usually had the pinion and gear members enclosed by a suitablehousing orsupport together with supporting means arranged at one side of the floating frame, usually below the latter, for connecting it to the housing Orsupport and providing for tilting of the frame in a-plane normal to the plane of. the gear and pinion axes. lVith'a pair of meshing gears,the force applied by the driving gear. isdivisible into two components, one tangential and effecting movement of the driven gear and the other a. normal component tending `to spread the gears apart. The spreading component gives a bending moment tending to distort the floating frame. and its support and the tangential component is more or less effective in the same way dependent upon the location of the floating frame Aand the pinion with respectcto the driven gear. In accordance with my invention, theflexible supporting means for the floating frame are effective in tension to' tie the floating frame in position with respect to the driven gear bearings with the pinion in proper meshing relation so that the oating frame and its support are not subjectedtobending stress. Consequently, due to the novel location and arrangement of the flexible supporting means :for the floating frame such that the component forces of the gear action do not give bending moments, it is possible to make the gearing lighter. Furthermore, the fixed frame or housing for the driven gear has been modied to provide a more direct connection between the floating frame` and the driven gear bearings;'and, to this 5 end, the fixed frame or housing is provided with an intermediate supporting construction or arch constituting a rigid part thereof and extending between the right and left hand helical tooth portions of the driven 0 gear, the floating frame being connected to vallel to the plane of the gear and pinion this supporting construction, whereby forces tending to spread the pinion away from the driven gear are resisted vin tension by the intermediate ieXible supporting means for the floating frame and the supporting con,- struction or arch of the rigid frame con nected directly to such flexible supporting means. More particularly, I provide ileX ible websu for supportingthe floating frame of a` reduction gear, each kof' the webs having its ends connected ot th'efloating frame and to the fixed frame having bearings for the driven gear and the webs extending between the connected ends in directions par- G5 axes. With webs l arranged "inV this way, they are rendered .eft'ective in tension to resist any tendency-,of the pinion to spread away from the gear, and such fieXiblewebs may be readily so arranged that nobending moment occurs which would be eective' to subject Ythe nframe and its supporting structure to bending stress. A further and more particularobject of my invention is, therefore, to provideV reduction gearing having the aforementioned features of construction and the consequent advantages.v

These and other objects are effected by my invention, vas will be apparent from the following description and claimstaken'in connection with the accompanying fdrawf ings, forming a part of this applicatiomfin which: Y

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a double reductiongea-r Vincorporating,my improvements; Y v

Fig. 2 is a sectionalview takenv along theV line Ile-lll of Fig. l; A

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line IIL-III of Fig. l;

Fig. t is a sectional view ltaken along lthe line lil-IV of Fig. l and showing parts of the high-speed reduction gear-,in plan;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of y95 a single reduction gear incorporating my improvement; l v

Fig. 6 is a sectional -view taken along the line of VIV-VI of Fig. 5; and,

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along the 100V line VII-VII of Fig. 5 and showing in terior parts of the gearing in plan. v

Referring to the drawings more in detail, in Fig. 1, I show a double reduction gearV including a first, or high-speed, reduction, at 10, and a second, or low-speed reduction, at 11, arranged in fixed frames or housing 12 and 13, respectively, features of the latter. being more particularly hereinafter referred to.

The high-speed reduction gear includes meshing pinion and gear members 14 and 15 each having spaced right and left-hand helical tooth portions. The driven gear 15 has journals 15a carried by bearings 16 provided on a. rigid frame 17 forming a part of the housing 12. The pinion 14 has journal portions 18 fitting bearings 19 provided on the floating frame 20, the floating frame being arranged totilt in a plane normal to the plane of the axes of the pinion 14 and` of the gear 15.

Referring to the novel means of support for the floating lframe 20, and referring to Fig. 3, it will be noted that lthe floating frame 20 .has its sides extending to either side of the plane of the gear and pinion axes, as indicated at 21, and such sides are provided with seats 22 arranged in a plane, or planes, normal to the plane of the gear and pinion axes. Disposed in opposed relation to the seats 22, there are seats 23 arranged parallel to the seats 22 and carried by an intermediate web or arch construction 25 forming a rigid part of the frame 17 for the driven gear. y

VFlexible webs 26 have terminal lianges 27 and 28 connected, respectively, to the seats 22 and 23. Hence, it will be seen that the i webs 26 extend betweenthe flanges thereof in directions parallel to the plane of the pinion and gear axes and that such webs are arranged in planes radial to the axis of tilt of the floating frame. By having the flexible webs arranged in this way, they are effective in tension to resist any tendency of the pinion to spread away from the driven gear. Furthermore due to location of flexible Webs at either side of the floating frame, no moment is developed, due to the tooth action, tending to bend the frame or its supporting construction. The webs 26 defiect to provide the floating rame movement with some warping or twisting dependent upon the distance thereof from the axis of tilt.

lVhile the flexible webs 26 are effective to connect the intermediate portion of the frame 20 to the supporting or arch construction 25 of the rigid frame 17, andwhile the frame itself is so constructed. as to resist bending of the ends thereof outward due to the tooth action, nevertheless, it is desirableV -to provide additional means to resist such 65 bending andto maintain proper meshing relation of the pinion and gear teeth. In this connection, with starting of spreading of a pinion away from'its gear, the spreading forces increase and' vice versa. Therefore, if one end of a pinion member should tend to spread away fromV the gear member, the tendency would be for such spreading action to continue with the result that the gear teeth at the other end would be crowded into mesh. VOn' this accountit is desirable to provide means associated with the ends of the frame and cooperating vwith the intermediate supporting `webs to maintain the pinion in proper mesh and to resist any tendency of the floating frame to bend or, what is more important, to oppose any tendency to improper meshing relation. Accordingly the high-speed reduction gear at 10 has struts30 cooperating with seats 31 provided on the lioating frame 20 and with adjustable seats 32 provided at the inner ends of the screws 33 threaded to bosses 34 on the gear cover 35. j

The pinion 14 is driven in the usual way by a turbine shaft 36 which has a quill drive connection with respect to the pinion 14.

Y In Fig. l, the after end of the high-speed reduction gear housing 12 is provided with a hub portion 37 aligned with the hub portion 38 of the housing' 13 ofthe low-speed reduction gearing, the hub portions being connected by a flexible sleeve construction 39. The driven gear 15 has its after journal portion 15aV connected by acoupling 40 to the'quill shaft 41 Yconnected to the pinion 42 of the low-speedvreduction gear, the pinion 42 meshing withthe driven gear 43, andthe latter having journal portions 44 fitting bearings 45 carried by the rigid frame 46. As is common practice, the forward end of 45 of the thrust bearing, at 46 and the after endk has a coupling portion 47 for connection tothe propeller shaft.

-The pinion 42 is carried by a floating frame 48, which is similar in construction to and mounted in a manner similar to the floating vframe 20 already referred to, that is,"the intermediate portion of the floating frame 48 has lateral extensions 50 having seats 51 arranged in plane or planes at right angles to the plane of the gear and pinion axes and'in opposed relation to seat or seats 52 arranged in plane or planes parallel to the seats 51, the seats 52 being provided on a supporting orarch construction 53 connected to opposite sides of the rigid frame 46 and extending between the right and left hand helical tooth portions of the driven gear.

Opposed seats`51 and 52 are connected by flexible webs 54 in a manner similar to the webs 26 already referred to.-`

Instead of having the floating frame 48 backed up by struts acting in compression, as with the high-speed reduction gear, at

the spindleof the gear 43 has a thrust collar 10, the floating frame v48 has tension connections 56 in the form of iexible webs having their outer termini connected to seats 57 at the ends of the floating frame 48 and facing the gear .bearings 45, and having their inner termini connected to ,seats 58 provided on the rigid fixed frame for .theV

driven gear. Y

It will be noted that the iiexible webs 54 and 56 are arranged in planes radial tothe axis of tilt of the oating frame and are so disposed and connected that they act in tension to resist any tendency ofthe pinion to spread away from the driven gear without developing any moment tending to bend or distort the pinion frame orits supporting construction. Furthermore, each of the web members extends in a direction from endto-end parallel to the plane of the pinion and gear axles, that is, at ninety degress to the usual direction of extent of such a web member, the usual direction of extent being in a direction normal to the plane of the gear and pinion axes.

In Figs.v` 5, '6, and 7, I show a reduction gear of the single reduction type, wherein the floating frame 60 for the pinion 61 meshing with the driven gear 62 is similar in all respects to the iioating frame 48 of the lowspeed reduction gear shown in Fig. l and further detailed description thereof is unnecessary. Owing tothe large size of the driven gear 62 with the large hub portionmodify the rigid supporting constructioir or housing somewhat over that already referred to in order to provide an'intermediate support or arch extending between the right and left hand helical tooth portions Vof the driven gear 62 for supportingvthe floating frame. To this end, in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, I show a gear housing having anintermediate rigid frame 63 provided withbearings 64 for the driven gear 62, and midway of the length of the sides of the frame 63, vthere springs from such sides the arch construction 65, which may extend, in part at least, into the space between the right and left hand helical tooth portions of thedriven gear 62.

The intermediate portion of the arch 65 is provided with seats 66 arranged'in a plane or planes normal to the plane of the gear and pinion axes and opposed respectively by seats 67 provided at the sides of the floating frame 60, and the seats are connected by flexible webs 68 in a manner similar to that hereinbefore referred to.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I have devised a reduction gear which may be made very light and strong for the v power transmitted. One of the principal features contributing to these advantages is the arrangement and connections of the flexible supporting elements for theV floating frame. These flexible supporting elements are. connected to the .fixedV frame having bearings for the drivenV gear and to the floating frame ysoas to be effective in tension to resist any tendency of. the pinion to spread away` from the ,driven gear. Theends of the floating frame maybe restrained either by ystruts or by iex'ibletension elements,.such restraint being desirable to prevent disturbance of proper meshing relation and to resist bending of the floating framedue to toothpressure..- By having flexible connections at either side of the floating frame, the pinion is heldin meshing relation by balanced tension vforce and there is no unbalanced force setting upl a bending stress in the floating frame or its mounting. Consequently, the, gearing, and particularly the floating frame and the supporting construction therefor, may be lmade lighter and stronger, In additionl to the novel mode of mounting the `oating frame, strength and lightness are further promoted by the structure lof therigid frame forthe driven gear,

the latterhaving formed, asan integral and rigid part thereof,l ani intermediate Vweb or arch construction constituting a supportfor the intermediate flexible web elementsof the oating frame. Hence, there is a very direct connection tying of the oating frame and the gear *bearings together, the connection being from the oating frame, through the tension webs, to the intermediate partition or arch construction forming a part of the l rigid` frame of the driven gear Vand thence. `to the ,bearings lof the-latter. i

While I uhave shown my finvention .in severa-l forms, itwill be obvious to those skilled in the art that yit is not solimited, but is susceptible of'various other changes and modifications, 'without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shallbe placed thereupon as are imposedby the prior art org/vas` are specificallyl set forth in theappended claims... v f Y What I'claimis: l I In".V a reduction gear, meshing pinion and gear members, a rigid frame having Vbearings for the gearinember and provided with an archspringingfrom opposite` sides thereof andinidway` of .the lengthxof lthe latter, aftoating frame for Vthe pinion disposed oppositely tothe central portion 'of thear'ch,` and flexible'connecting means between the central portion of the arch and the floating frame.. n

2.` In ka reduction gear, meshing pinion and gear members, each having spacedright and left-hand tooth portions, ,aV rigid frame having bearings for the gearmember and provided with an arch construction Vspringing from opposite sidesthereof and extending between the right and left-hand Jtooth portions: of f they gear member, floating frame for .the pinion, and flexible supporting means' connected to the floating frame andto said arch. i i p 3.'In a reduction gear, meshing pinion and gear members, a fixed frame having bearings for the gear member, a floating frame having bearings Vfor the pinion member, and members having their opposite ends connected' to the fixed frame and to the floating frame. for supportingy the latter' from the former, said members extending between their end connections, parallel to the common plane of the gear pinion member axes and crosswise of the space between planes including the pinion and gear member axes and normal to the common plane of said axes, whereby said members are effective in tension to resist spreading of the pinion member away from the gear member,- and said members being capable of flexing to provide for floating or rocking movement of the floating frame to balance tooth pressures. l

y4. In a reduction gear, meshing pinion and gear 'members,A a fixed frame having bearings for the gear member, a floating frame having bearings for the'pinion memberand supporting means for the floating frame including al plurality of web members having their opposite ends connected to the fixed frame and to the floating frame and extending crosswise of the space between planes including the pinion and gear member axes and normal to the common plane of said axes, said web members being axes; said first pair of web y.members being arranged substantially inthe common plane ofthe pinion vand gear member axes' and said secondV pair of web members being are ranged in a plane substantial-ly normal to said common plane. Y l

V7. In a reduction gear, meshing pinion and gear members; a fixed frame having bearings for the gear member;` a floating frame having bearings for the pinion member; anda pair of Web members having their opposite ends connected to the fixed frame and to thefloating frame for supporting the latter from the former.; said web .members being disposed at either side of the axis ofthe pinion member, arranged substantially in aplane normal to the pinion member axis,-`and extending crosswise of the space between the planesv including the pinion and gear member axes and normal to the commonplane of said axes.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 24th day of August, 1931. f f

' HENRY F. SCHMIDT.

disposed substantially radially with respect to the axis of tilt of the floating Vframe so that they may Vflex to provide for oating .or rocking 'movement of the floating frame to balance tooth pressures. i

5. In ka reduction gear, meshing pinion and gear members; a fixed frame having bearings'for the gear member; a floating framev having bearings for the pinion member; and a pair of flat web members arranged substantially in the plane of the pinion and gear member axes, having opposite ends thereof connected to the fixed frame and to the floating frame, and Vextending, between their end connections, crosswise of the space between planes including the pinion and gear member axes and normal to the common plane of said axes.

6. In a reduction gear, meshing pinion gear members; a fixed frame having bearings for the gear members; a floating frame having bearings for the pinion member; and first andv second pairs of at web members having their opposite ends connected to the fixed frame and to the floating frame forsupporting the latter from the former and extending, between their end connections, crosswise of the space between planes including the pinion and e gear member axes and normal t0 the common plane of said 

